It's Only a Shadow
by Prospit Monarch
Summary: There was a rumor going around Hyrule and a nasty one at that. People would enter the haunted place to never be seen again and no one dared enter for fear of their lives, but that didn't stop the Hero of Time from trying to find out what was going on.


An older story I wrote some years ago. It's received a few 'favs' on other sites so I thought, hey, why not put it here?

All characters belong to Nintendo

* * *

><p>There was a rumor going around Hyrule, and a nasty one too. Many didn't believe it, saying it was a story to keep the children out of there. But to those who had lost loved ones to that place said otherwise.<p>

The small rumor began to grow, causing some fear and panic outside of Kakoriko Village. For those who actually lived there, it caused sheer terror. Doors and windows would be double locked at night, saying anyone who dared to set foot outside after dark would surely never be seen again.

That warning was more like a call to a challenge for the young Hero of Hyrule, and soon he set out to track down this rumor to see if it was in fact true or not.

Over the next few days he searched around, asking people from all cultures to see what they knew. After a while he narrowed it down to the small Kakoriko town just bellow Death Mountain. There he learned even more about what was going on. According to many villagers, the Cemetery located just a little farther north was haunted. Not just by the normal Poes and the occasional ReDeads, no, they said it something far worse, far more sinister.

This newfound fact highly motivated the Hero to see if he could find out more of this 'sinister entity'.

" Honestly boy, we don't know what is causing it, we're all to scared to go in and find out." The large, muscular Shopkeeper replied with his back to the green tunic wearing hero. "We sent out best in there to see what was going on, even a Goron from Death Mountain was willing enough to go, sadly they never returned."

The Hero, Link, slowly nodded as he watched the Shopkeeper work, re-arranging the shop items. " So...how did this all start, anyway?"

"Well…. about a week ago, a young boy wandered into the Cemetery, hearing that there were Poes there, only problem was.." The Shopkeeper paused for a second, but continued. " He…he never came back out.."

Whatever was in the Cemetery was begging to be challenged, and Link was the one to accept it.

The Hylian Hero existed the shop, only to instantly be blasted by a cold wind, accompanied with a stinging rain. The shock of it caused him to curse aloud and he quickly looked around, hoping nobody had heard him.

" You need to watch your mouth, Link."

Navi, Link's fairy companion, flew out from under his hat. She only stayed out for about five seconds before darting right back under Link's hat.

" Now you know why I said that." Link muttered as he began to walk down the steps of the shop.

" Still, I don't think the Great Deku Tree would have approved of that."

" Do you really /have/ to bring him up in every conversation?"

" Yes, he was the one who helped you start your journey, and he was very wise, you should have listened to him more often."

Link sighed but continued to walk through the rain towards his destination, the Kakariko Cemetery. He'd been their once before and he remembered the way there all too well. He hoped that three years ago was the last he would ever have to see of that cemetery, but it seemed that the gods had other ideas.

The Hero quickly made his way to the Cemetery, only something seemed different about it.

The whole place was deathly quiet, not even a Poe wandered around the graves, and besides the obvious rain and the sound of Link's breathing, and there was not a sound. The whole place was also pitch black, and Link could hardly see three feet in front of him. There was also an ominous feel to the place, like he was being watched.

Link quickly reached into the bag behind his shield and pulled out a lantern. He quickly lit it, and light radiated from it for about five seconds before being blown out by the wind and rain. He grumbled to himself but stayed where he was, trying to think of something he could do.

Suddenly lightening flashed through the sky, lighting up the Cemetery in an eerie white glow. In the few seconds the light lasted Link was able to see the carnage thrown onto the poor place. Multiple gravestones were cracked or broken completely. A few even had, what looked like in the low light, blood smeared all over them, a warning to any who dared come.

Slowly Link reached behind him, put the lantern away, and pulled out his sword and shield. Even with the Master sword in hand, he could feel something very dark was ahead, something even darker than the King of Evil himself.

The Hylian waited for another flash of light before heading forward. Once the flash came he took a good couple steps towards the back end of the Cemetery. Another flash came seconds later, and he took more steps closer.

He was about halfway through the cemetery when there was a low, crackling sound under his foot. Link crouched down, and waited for another lightening strike to see what he had stepped on. The flash came, and his heart almost skipped a beat when he saw it. There was a completely smashed Poe's lantern on the ground, covered by a bloody cracked child's play mask. The child's mask looked like somebody screaming, and the fact that he wasn't expecting it was what scared Link.

Link sighed and stood back up, whatever this thing was had no mercy if it killed an innocent child.

He waited for another flash of light before going any further. In only a matter of minutes he was near the end of the long cemetery. At the end there were supposed to be three graves, two belonging to the music brothers, but they were all gone, smashed to pieces. He took a few more steps so he was standing where the middle tombstone should have been, and where a secret entrance was. Both seemed to have vanished, like they never existed.

" What in the name of Nayru happened here…?" Link muttered as he slowly looked from left to right.

" I…I don't know…b-but there's something here Link.." Link's fairy companion spoke from underneath his green hat, loud enough for him to hear.

"…What do you mean..?"

" T-There's something very evil here….only I don't know where."

After a few years of being with Navi, Link learned to listen to hear, even if she did get annoying at times. He slowly raised his sword and peered deep into the darkness.

Lightening streaked across the sky, lighting up the ground below. Heading straight towards Link was a dark black figure with piercing crimson eyes. Link instinctively raised his shield, and a mere second later the clang of sword against shield rang in his ears, almost drowned out by the following sound of thunder. If it weren't for the lightening, he would have been dead.

Link took a couple steps back, all senses alert for any sound, but that was hard to do when it was raining. Whatever had attacked him didn't make a noise; Link didn't even hear a footstep of it approaching. For a few seconds he thought it could have been a flying enemy, only it was on the ground once another flash of light covered the area.

Whatever had attacked was now to his right, crouched down with some sort of sword and shield in its hand, only they were pitch black too. The dark figure launched itself at Link right as the light disappeared from the world. The Hero only had a second to react, and he did so by bringing his sword up over his head, blocking his foe's attack.

His attacker chuckled somewhere in the darkness, a strange, dark, malicious edge to it.

" Show yourself!" Link yelled into the night, hoping for some sort of reply.

For a good few long seconds there was nothing, only the soft patter of rain. Another flash raced across the sky, only the demon in the cemetery was nowhere to be seen. Once the darkness engulfed the hero, a voice rang out, with a very dark and malicious edge to it.

" Tell me, Hero…Are you afraid of something you can't see?"

Something quickly darted to Link's left.

" …Of something you can't hear?"

Now to his right.

"….."

Link guessed the thing had stopped moving, because now he couldn't tell where the thing was. Little did he know it was coming straight for him, a sly grin plastered to its face. As soon as lightening flashed something barreled into Link's side. He turned to look, and he caught a quick glimpse of the figures face.

The darkness ensued and Link hit the ground, hard. He shakily pushed himself up, the rain and cold starting to affect him. Half way to his feet he froze, the figures face just registering in his mind.

" Now tell me, Hero….Are you afraid of your own shadow?"

The face was his, only twisted to a darker form.

The 'shadow' Link jumped onto the Hero, knocking him back to the ground and making him drop his sword in the process. He flipped over, but the shadow quickly grabbed his throat and sat on him, pinning him to the ground.

The shadow leaned in towards Link's face, so he could have a good look. The shadow Link's face was just like his: hat, hair, face, everything, except it was all dark, just like a real shadow.

And for the first time in a long time, Link felt something he didn't know he still had: fear.

The rain slowly grew heavier, drenching both Links. The shadow form of the Hero slowly shook its head, a look of disapproval on its face.

" You're the Hero of Time? Pathetic, I'm ashamed to be your shadow. "

Suddenly a grin appeared on its face, and it looked straight at Link.

" But we can easily fix that. "

Shadow Link slowly began to close its hand around Link's throat, cutting off his airway.

In desperation, Link reached with his left hand, quickly grabbing his sword. He raised his hand and thrust it at Shadow Link, digging the sword deep into its dark frame. The shadow stopped and looked down at the sword, then back at Link.

" Ouch."

Link stared at the shadow as, with its free hand, grabbed the handle of the Master Sword and slowly pulled it out. The sword didn't even leave a mark. Shadow Link then turned the sword so he could get a good look at it.

" It's a nice sword…"

The shadow turned it over, so the tip was facing Link, and thrust it down into the ground, piercing straight through Link's left should on the way. And over the cry of Link's pain, Shadow continued.

" But I prefer mine."

Shadow Link reached behind and slowly pulled out his own sword, a dark interpretation of the Master Sword, and then he slowly took his other hand off Link's throat. In a flash Link raised his right hand, which held his shield, but only to stop dead half way. Shadow had his hand the real Master Sword, and he had twisted the blade while it was still in Link's shoulder. Link dropped his shield and quickly placed his hand where the blade met his skin, all the while trying not to cry out in pain.

Link fingered the place where his sword had pierced him, then shakily placed his free hand on the blade, giving it a tug. He grit his teeth at the pain, then tried again. The blade didn't budge.

He looked up at Shadow Link, to make sure he was still there, and instead, through the rain, he saw the gleam of a blade come straight towards him. Almost in slow motion he watched it come out of the darkness, growing larger every long second it took to reach him.

The same thought raced through his mind as he watched the blade come towards him..

_It's only a shadow. _

_It's only a shadow.. _

_It's only a shadow… _

_It's only a sha- _

_…_


End file.
